Santhosh George Kulangara
Born
Santhosh Kulangara George

(1971-12-25) 25 December 1971
Marangattupilly, Kottayam district, Kerala, India
Other namesSGK
Alma materMadurai Kamaraj University
Occupations
  • Traveller
  • producer
  • director
  • broadcaster
  • editor
  • publisher
Years active1992 – present (TV)
Known forTravel documentaries
SpouseSoncy
Children2
AwardsKerala Sahitya Akademi Award
Websitesanthoshgeorge.com

Santhosh George Kulangara (born Santhosh Kulangara George; 25 December 1971) is an Indian traveller, television producer, director, broadcaster, editor, and publisher. He is the founder and managing director of Safari TV, a channel dedicated to travel and history-based programmes. Kulangara also serves as the head of Labour India Publications, an educational publisher for school children.[1][2] As of 2021, Kulangara had travelled to more than 130 countries and his journeys are telecast through Sancharam, the first travel documentary in Malayalam.[3][4]

Early life

Santhosh was born at Marangattupilly in Kottayam district of Kerala, India on 25 December 1971.[2][5] After doing his post-graduation in journalism and mass communication from Madurai Kamaraj University.[6][7]

Career

Television

Santhosh started a career in journalism in 1992 by making telefilms and documentaries for various television channels. At age 26,[8] he assumed the leadership of Labour India Publications, a publishing house which provides journals and magazines for students.[9] His telefilms and documentaries include Samayam, Acharya, Maluvinte Lokam and Krishnagatha.[10] In 1997, he decided to start a travelogue by travelling to different countries and the first episode of Sancharam was broadcast in Asianet in 2001.[11][2][12]

Kulangara launched the exploration channel Safari TV on 1 November 2013 and is its managing director. He is "Chief Explorer" of Safari TV, and the channel's signature programme, Sancharam, is shot, edited and directed by him.[2][12] It entered the Limca Book of Records as the "first visual travelogue in Malayalam".[13] As a solo traveller, he has visited several nations around the globe to showcase the history, culture traditions and nature of each destination. As of 2021, he had travelled through more than 130 countries and seven continents since he started his solo journeys outside India in 1997.[12][3][4] The programme was initially telecasted by Asianet channel from 2001 to 2012.[12]

Space tourism

Santhosh George Kulangara on a reduced-gravity aircraft flight with Zero Gravity Corporation in 2007

Described in some outlets as 'India's first space tourist',[14][11][15] he was the first Indian included among a group of people who paid to make a suborbital trip in a spaceship as part of the Virgin Galactic space tourism initiative.[16] He was selected for the trip in early 2007,[15][16] and undertook a "zero gravity experience" later in 2007.[4]

Film

In 2010, he directed and produced an English film, Chandrayaan, based on Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar probe. The film features behind-the-scene activities of the mission.[17] The Rocket Assembly Building at Sriharikota, the Rocket Launch Pad, Mission Control Centre, Spacecraft Assembly Building, PSLV Rocket and Chandrayaan spacecraft were all recreated on the sets at Labour India Film and TV Studios. The chief architects, who worked behind the actual Chandrayaan project, are the main characters of the film. The film was released in theatres in 2011.[18]

Personal life

He is married to Soncy[14] and has two children.[14] In 2021, he was appointed as a "part-time expert member" of the Kerala State Planning Board.[19]

Awards and honours

Santhosh in 2007

Santhosh George Kulangara has won several awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Academi Award for Best Travelogue (2012),[20] an Asian Television Award,[5] K.R. Narayanan Award (instituted by the K.R. Narayanan Foundation),[5] Kerala Film Critics Award for the best Television programme director,[21] and Yuva Pratibha Award for the year 2004 for his contributions to the field of television by the Indian Junior Chamber.[5] Other awards include the Souparnikatheeram Mini Screen Award for the best director of non-fictional television programmes,[21] Outstanding Young Indian National Award instituted by JCI India,[22] Rotary Star of the Year 2007 award,[5] All India RAPA Award instituted by Radio and TV Advertising Practitioners Association of India,[23] National Film Academy Award,[24] Maniyeri Madhavan award in 2015,[25] Bahumukha Prathibha award at Flowers TV awards 2017[26] and Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) media awards for 2020-21.[27]

Books

Santhosh George Kulangara has written seven books related to his travels and experiences around the world. These books are written in Malayalam.[2]

  • Natashayude Varna Balloonukal (The Colourful Balloons of Natasha): A travelogue of his journey through parts of Northern Europe in winter.
  • Oru Rabbiyude Chumbanangal (The Kisses of a Rabbi): Covering his journey through 50 countries, the people he met and his experiences.
  • Ground Zeroyile Gayakan (The Musician at Ground Zero): Describing a journey through the US and Canada, reflecting on life after the 9/11 terror attack.
  • Zero Gravity: Describes his experience of zero gravity training in a specially designed aircraft at Kennedy Space Center.
  • Baltic Diary: A narrative of his journey through several Baltic countries, focusing on the changes in these countries after the fall of the Soviet Union.
  • Keralaism: Thoughts on how to implement 'progressive development concepts' in Kerala.[28]
  • Spacilekku oru train yatra (A Train-Journey To Space): Describing the events that led to his decision to become a 'space tourist' and his various travel experiences.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "After documenting travels to over 130 countries on Earth, Santhosh George Kulangara from Kerala heads to space". Gulf News. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Santhosh George Kulangara". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 Basheer, K. P. M. (10 January 2019). "He caught the travel bug, passed it on". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Deepa Soman / TNN. "I'm hoping to capture most of my space exploration trip on camera: Santhosh George Kulangara | Kochi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Santhosh George Kulangara". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Space will be his next stop". Deccan Herald. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Meet Kerala's Santhosh George Kulangara, who could be India's first space tourist". CNBC TV18. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  8. ↑ A day with Santhosh George Kulangara at Safari channel corporate office | Chat with Baiju N Nair, retrieved 16 July 2021
  9. ↑ Labour India Educational Research Centre, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 1 June 2021
  10. ↑ "SundayMangalam2002May19page2". santhoshgeorge.com. 19 May 2002. p. 2.
  11. 1 2 "Kerala traveller to be India's first space tourist aboard Virgin Galactic". Deccan Herald. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "SAFARI TV - ABOUT US". www.safaritvchannel.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Limca Book of Records". limcabookofrecords.in. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2021 – via web.archive.org.
  14. 1 2 3 "India's first space tourist". The Times of India. 15 March 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  15. 1 2 Singh, Sanghita (15 March 2007). "Keralite to be India's first space tourist". DNA India. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. 1 2 Srinivas Laxman / TNN. "First Indian space tourist touches down in Mumbai | Mumbai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Kulangara, Santhosh George, Chandrayaan (Drama, History, Sci-Fi), Sarath Kumar, retrieved 21 January 2021
  18. ↑ "'Chandrayaan' to hit screens after Onam". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Kerala State Planning Board reconstituted, VK Ramachandran to continue as Vice Chairperson". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Jayachandran Nair and Santhosh Kumar get Sahithya academy award " Archived 2013-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. Mathrubhumi. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Sancharam got RAPA National Award". santhoshgeorge.com. 30 April 2005. p. 12.
  22. ↑ "Santosh George Kulangara got award". santhoshgeorge.com. 2 December 2005. p. 9.
  23. ↑ "Sancharam got RAPA National Award". santhoshgeorge.com. 30 April 2005. p. 9.
  24. ↑ "Sancharam got two National Award". santhoshgeorge.com. 19 May 2004. p. 5.
  25. ↑ "Maniyeri Madhavan awards presented". The Hindu. 12 July 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  26. ↑ Flowers TV Awards 2017 | Part 01, retrieved 16 July 2021
  27. ↑ "KCBC media awards announced". The Hindu. 3 July 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  28. ↑ "കേരളായിസം". keralaism.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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